Indicator-padlock



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. P. CURTIS.

INDIGATORYPADLOOK.

No. 548,523. Patented 055. 22, 1895.

WITNESSES 1? 8 a INVENTOR efl M 3. 43% g ANDREW LGIMIIEHIGTOUMQWASHINWKQC.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. I. CURTIS. INDICATOR PADLOGK.

o. 548,523. Patented 001;. 22, 1895.

zaIEI-a-E .e n

WITNESSES INVENTOR ANDREW B GRAHAM.HIUTO'LI'TM WASHINGTUN.D G.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS F. CURTIS, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

lNDICATOR-PADLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 548,523, dated October 22, 1895.

Application filed February 20, 1895. Serial No. 539,076. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEWIS F. CURTIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ind icator-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its general object to simplify, cheapen, and to greatly improve the construction and mode of operation of indicator-locks, the special objects being to provide a construction consisting of few parts all adapted to be produced at a minimum expense and requiring but little finishing, and to provide a construction so organized that the indicating mechanism shall be rigidly locked against backward movement and itshall be practically impossible to tamper with the locking mechanism Without actuating the indicating mechanism, an important feature being that both indicating mechanism and locking mechanism are socketed in a solid block of metal, thereby rendering it practically impossible to derange either of the mechanisms by any ordinary amount of hard usage to which a lock can be subjected.

With these ends in View I have devised the simple and novel indicator-lock of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, numbers being used to designate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my novel lock complete; Fig. 2, a similar view with the faceplate removed, the top plate being in section on the line a; m in Fig. 9; Fig. 3, a similar view with the face-plate and indicating-rings removed, the operating-shaft being in position; Fig. 4., a similar view with the operating-shaft removed; Fig. 5, a plan View, the shackle and top plate being removed; Fig. 6, a section on the line y y in Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a back View of the indicating-rings detached; Fig. 8, a perspective of the shaft detached, and Fig. 9 is a plan view of the top plate detached.

1 denotes the body of the case, which may be cast in the form of a solid block. This body is provided in its face with a shallow circular recess 2, which receives the indicatwhich are riveted or otherwise firmly securedv to the body after the parts of the locking and indicating mechanisms are in place. The

face-plate is provided with an opening or openings 11, through which letters, numerals, or other characters on the faces of the indicatingrings appear.

12 denotes the shackle, which is provided with a reduced end 13, which is adapted to pass through an opening 14 in the top plate, and with a locking-recess 15, which in the locked position lies under the face-plate, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4E. The shackle is shown as pivoted in a recess 16, formed in the body and closed on its open side by the face plate. The indicating-rings are placed concentrically in recess 2. The inner ring may or may not be journaled on astud 17, extending inward from the face-plate, (see Fig. 6 in connection with Fig. 2,) or may be a disk, if preferred. Each of the indicating-rings is provided on its back with a series of crown teeth 18. An important advantage results from the use of this style of indicating-rings for the reason that they can be produced in two operations of a blanking-press or by a single operation of a double-acting press. The rings are blanked out with the teeth in the plane of the ring, a second operation setting the teeth at right angles to the plane of the ring. The shaft lies in recess 4: the upper end thereof engaging the top plate, so as to hold it against lateral movement, and the lower end being reduced, as at 19, and passing through the bottom of the case.

In the upper end of the bodyis a recess 20, which receives the lockingbolt 21. This locking-bolt is provided with a recess having a shoulder 22, the purpose of which will'presently be explained, and is thrown to and retained at the locking position by a spring 23, lying in recess 20 and in a socket at the rear end of the locking-bolt.

Shaft 5 is provided with a series of ribs-24, which extend from the top of the shaft downward far enough to engage the crown-teeth is clearly shown in Fig. 5.

on the inner indicating-ring, the upper ends of these ribs being adapted to engage shoulder 22 on the locking-bolt to move the latter to the retracted position.

25 denotes a series of shorter ribs on shaft 5, which lie between ribs 24, the upper ends of ribs 25 lying wholly below the lockingbolt, so that the latter is not engaged thereby, but being of suitable length to engage the crown-teeth on each of the indicating-rings. The shaft is provided at its lower end with a slot 26, which is adapted to receive a key.

In use a seal (not shown) may be placed in way 8 and will then cover the slot in the shaft, so that the key cannot be inserted without breaking the seal. The plunger 7 acts in the usual manner in this class of locks. It is thrown to the raised position by a spring 27, thereby expelling the shackle after the locking-bolt has been retracted and forcing a plate 28 at the upper end of the plunger into opening 9 in the top plate, thereby closing the opening. The lower end of the plunger is provided with a point 29, (see dotted lines, Fig. 3,) which when the plunger is forced down by the shackle, when the latter is placed in the locking position, is forced through the seal in the way, thereby locking the latter in place and preventing the removal of the seal without breaking it.

The operation of the lock will be clearly.

understood from the drawings. t is obvious that each actuation of the shaft a sufficient distance to move the locking-bolt out of the notch in the shackle must also carry the indicating-rings forward at the same time, the connection of the shaft with the locking-bolt being positive and the connection of the shaft with the indicating-rings being likewise positive. I have shown the shaft as provided with four ribs 24, which engage the lockingbolt, and with four ribs 25 between ribs 24, the parts being so proportioned that the en gagement of a rib 24 and a rib 25 with the crown-teeth on the indicating-rings will move said rings forward one character while at the same time the engagement of the rib 24 with the locking-bolt will retract the latter. The locking-bolt will be moved backward by the engagement of rib 24 with shoulder 22 until said rib passes off from the shoulder. Spring 23 will then return the locking-bolt to the locking position, there being no obstruction to the return of the locking-bolt to the locking position owing to the fact that the ribs 25 lie wholly below the locking-bolt, the latter passing over the upper ends of these ribs. Shoulder 22 will thus be in position to be engaged by the next rib 24 as soon as the shaft is turned forward again, and backward movement of the shaft will be prevented by the engagement of the rib 24,- which has just passed the shoulder, with the locking-bolt, as It will thus be seen that by providing a positive connection between the locking mechanism and indicating mechanism and the element by which these mechanisms are operated I insure that each actuation of the operating element cannot'fail to actuate the indicating mechanism.

I do not desire to limit myself to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, as it is obvious that the construction of the lock can be greatly changedwithout departing from the principle of my invention, and, furthermore, that the principle of my invention is by no means limited in its application to locks provided with a shackle.

Having thus described my invention, I olaim- 1. In a lock of the character described the combination with a case having an opening and a locking bolt, of a series of indicating rings placed concentrically and provided on their faces with characters adapted to register with the opening and on their backs with crown teeth and a shaft having a series of ribs 24 adapted to engage the locking bolt and the crown teeth on the indicating rings and a series of ribs 25 lying between ribs 24 and engaging the crown teeth only so that when the shaft is turned forward the locking bolt will be retracted by the rib 24 in engagement therewith and the indicating rings will be carried forward by the engagement of the ribs 24 and 25 in engagement therewith.

2. In a lock of the character described the combination witha case having an opening and a spring actuated locking bolt having a shoulder 22, of a series of indicating rings placed concentrically and provided on their faces with characters adapted to register with the opening and on their backs with crown teeth and a shaft having a series of ribs 24 adapted to engage shoulder 22 and the crown teeth on the indicating rings and a series of ribs 25 lying between ribs 24 and engaging the crown teeth only so that when the shaft is turned forward the locking bolt will be re tracted by the engagement of one of the ribs 24 with the shoulder and the indicating rings will be carried forward by the engagement of a rib '24 and a rib 25 with the crown teeth, the locking bolt being free to return to the locking position as soon as the rib 24 passes off from the shoulder, the shoulder being then .in position to be engaged by the next rib 24 when the shaft is turned forward and the shaft being held against backward movement by the rib which has just passed the shoulder.

3. The combination with a case having recesses 2, 4 and 20 and an opening 11, of a series ofconcentric indicating rings lying in recess 2, said rings having on their faces characters adapted to register with opening ll and on their backs crown teeth, a locking bolt lying in recess 20 and provided with a shoulder 22, a shaft lying in recess 4 and having a series of ribs 24 adapted to engage the shoulder and the crown teeth on the indicating rings and a series of shorter ribs 25 lying between ribs 24 and engaging the crown teeth only, and top and side plates by which the recesses are covered and the parts are held in position.

4. The combination with a case having an opening 11 and in its under side a way 8 adapted to receive a seal, and a locking bolt, of a series of concentric indicating rings having on their faces characters adapted to register with opening 11 and on their backs crown teeth, a shaft the lower end of which is reduced and passes through the bottom of the case in way 8 and is provided with a key slot, the upper end of said shaft having a series of 

